


Keep your enemies

by Hezaia



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Humor, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21931579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hezaia/pseuds/Hezaia
Summary: “I don’t get it. One billion percent.”“Well, we don’t either, but he didn’t go through with it, so that’s good, right?”“That’s right, Senku! Tsukasa might not be such a bad guy after all!”“But it’s illogical! He was one billion percent about to kill me, so why the Hell−”“Senku.”“Hm?”“You’re making Taiju upset.”“Hah?”“Senkuuuuuuu! You−you almost−Uwaaaaaaaa!”“Hey, Taiju, what the Hell, man? Stop crying. It’s gross.”-In which everyone is a little smarter (and somehow also dumber).
Relationships: Asagiri Gen & Ishigami Senkuu, Chrome & Ishigami Senkuu, Ishigami Senkuu & Everyone, Ishigami Senkuu & Ogawa Yuzuriha & Ooki Taiju, Ishigami Senkuu & Shishiou Tsukasa
Comments: 39
Kudos: 201





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To keep
> 
> 1\. To retain possession of  
> 2\. To have as a supply  
> 3\. To support (for example family or a mistress or lover) financially.

* * *

“Senku, you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met. I respect you from the bottom of my heart.”

That was probably the case. Still− “A man who compliments another to his face is either gay or a tactician. Which one is it?”

“And what if I am?”

Senku blinked, but was quick to recover when Tsukasa let out an amused huff.

“It’s not that deep, really,” Tsukasa said. “I just thought that you could really end up recreating modern civilisation from scratch.”

Again, a fair assessment. Still, going by the tone, it sounded an awful lot like Tsukasa wasn’t all too keen on that happening at all.

“So,” Taiju said. “What’s the fourth thing? You said there were four important ways to use seashells, right?”

Senku made an internal note to have a serious talk with Taiju not to ask such things within earshot of Tsukasa, and held up three fingers. “Didn’t I say three?”

* * *

Tsukasa was an excellent hunter. He had put meat, fish and fowl back on the menu. Also, unlike Taiju, he wasn’t completely lost as soon as Senku began speaking about science.

However, he was also extremely dangerous; he had killed a lion with his bare hands, dressed its hide and salvaged its meat, all of it within hours of his own revival.

Like, Senku could applaud the efficiency and agree on the principle of not wasting meat, even if it was pretty shitty meat. On the other hand though, when it came to Taiju’s assessment of Tsukasa’s character− _“He’s a super-duper good guy!”_ −Senku naturally had certain reservations.

And Senku's hunch had been right too, because as things had turned out, Tsukasa had proven to be perfectly capable of murder, and had quite readily admitted to it as well. Apparently, he considered it a necessary evil in order to obtain his goal of cleansing humanity, reviving only the young and living as one with nature and whatnot.

Naturally, Senku had disagreed.

And then Taiju had carelessly revealed the secret of the miracle water, bringing Tsukasa one step closer to learning the formula for the revival potion, something that obviously had to be prevented at all costs.

* * *

In hindsight, the whole reviving Yuzuriha and trying to stop Tsukasa with the powers of civilisation had not been Senku’s smartest move.

Rather, he ought to have forced Taiju and Yuzuriha to go through with Plan A; to run away and live somewhere far away. That way, Senku would have had more of a chance against Tsukasa. Because then, the latter _wouldn’t_ have been able to use them as hostages in order to make Senku reveal the secret formula.

But hindsight was twenty-twenty and whatnot; Senku had made several mistakes, and if this bet didn’t pay off, then that would really be it for him.

Tsukasa had said he would let Senku live if he renounced science, but to Senku, that would ultimately be the same as dying. Living in a world without science; to Senku, that sounded even worse than dying.

“Get it over with in one blow,” Senku said, motioning to his neck. “Getting everything messy spraying blood all over the place wouldn’t be very efficient or logical for either of us.”

“Don’t worry,” Tsukasa responded. “I’ll break your cervical plexus in one strike.”

Cervical plexus, huh? Great.

“You’ll be rendered unconscious instantly, and then you will die,” Tsukasa explained. “You won’t feel any pain. I won’t miss.”

Hoh. How awfully considerate of him.

“Senku,” Tsukasa said, closing in. “If by chance, we’d met 3,700 years ago, then you might just have been my very first friend.”

Right. “Probably.”

Well, there was no real use pondering what could have been, only what was. A quick blow to the neck, and then it was up to Yuzuriha and Taiju from thereon. Hopefully, they would pick up on his clues. Hopefully, they’d−

Tsukasa moved; he was so quick that Senku didn’t really have the time to react. However, instead of feeling the expected strike against his neck, something struck the back of his shins.

Footing and balance both lost, Senku got exactly 0.47 seconds of freefall before he was scooped up into Tsukasa’s arms.

“Let’s not quarrel amongst ourselves. I will do what I must, and nothing will stand in my way. Yeah,” Tsukasa said with a slight nod to himself, hoisting Senku up further.

Seriously. What the actual fuck?

* * *

“I don’t get it. One billion percent.”

“Well, we don’t either, but he didn’t go through with it, so that’s good, right?”

“That’s right, Senku! Tsukasa might not be such a bad guy after all!”

“But it’s illogical! He was one billion percent about to kill me, so why the Hell−”

“Senku.”

“Hm?”

“You’re making Taiju upset.”

“Hah?”

“Senkuuuuuuu! You−you almost− _Uwaaaaaaaa_!”

“Hey, Taiju, what the Hell, man? Stop crying. It’s gross.”

_“Senkuuuuu!”_

“Hey, get off of me! I don’t want you clinging to me with all that snot! Gross!”

“Senkuuuu!”

“Yuzuriha, what the Hell are you getting clingy for?! Why are you crying now?!”

“Senkuuuuuuu! You made Yuzuriha cry! You bastard!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m a bastard alright. I still don’t get it though.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’re our Senku after all.”

“Seriously gross.”

* * *

To have an extended lease on life should have been a great relief, yet it somehow wasn’t. It wasn’t, because it was connected to entirely too much uncertainty.

It would really have been better if Senku had managed to cheat death – if Tsukasa had killed him, and Taiju and Yuzuriha had managed to bring him back with the power of de-petrification. That way, Senku could have rested easy for a while, safe in the knowledge that Tsukasa believed him dead.

But that hadn’t happened, and now Senku lay awake, days after the fact, and Tsukasa was only part of the reason.

Tsukasa had left; he had likely headed back for more miracle water, now that he knew the secrets of the revival potion. Still, it would take quite a bit of time before Tsukasa had gathered enough to put his plans into action – beyond the one container he had taken from Senku, that is.

All in all, that was probably payback for what Senku had done to the distillation equipment; smashing something that had taken so much time and effort to build had been a bit painful, but Senku had still done it, reasoning that it would all be worth it if it managed to set back Tsukasa’s ambitions by even the slightest bit.

In any case, while dangerous, Tsukasa was actually the lesser issue, at least for now – out of sight, out of mind and whatnot.

Instead, there was another issue at the forefront of Senku’s mind.

_“Ishigami Village?”_

To suddenly encounter a village of survivors, and bearing such a name at that? It’d be a lot stranger if it _didn’t_ have anything to do with Ishigami Byakuya.

Still, in order to find that out for sure, they would obviously have to ask that Ruri chick, the village priestess, since she seemed the most likely to know anything out of the bunch. However, she was inside the village, and in order to meet her, they would obviously have to figure out a way to get in there, preferably without whipping up an angry mob in the process.

In addition, that Ruri chick’s health was apparently deteriorating, so…

“ _Sulphanilamide_ , huh?”

Well, that was still pretty far ahead. Before that, they obviously had to obtain a whole bunch of things and additional manpower on top of that. And in order to get the latter− “Ramen.”

“Huh?” the others said.

Senku sat himself up. “We need to lure in more manpower, so ramen’s obviously the way to go.”

“Okay." Yuzuriha nodded. "We don’t have any wheat though?”

“Foxtail might work.”

“It might. Let’s try it.”

“Yeah, Senku, let’s do it!”

* * *

With the number of projects and side projects going on, Senku didn’t really put a lot of thought into Tsukasa and his ambitions, at least not during the day. But during the night, the thoughts returned.

Tsukasa had taken Senku’s extra vial of revival fluid; enough to revive a single person, but not more. Why? What was he planning? Or rather, who was he planning on bringing back?

On the day of the grand opening of the ramen stand, Senku finally had his answer.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Asagiri Gen was confused and rightfully so.

Waking up in the middle of nowhere in nothing but his birthday suit, Gen had been naturally confused and rather annoyed, because the last thing he recalled, he had been in the middle of a performance.

Was this some elaborate prank? But if so, then had his manager approved of this?

Those had been Gen’s thoughts, for the most part, for those first couple of seconds, before a certain someone had dropped a figurative bomb on him.

Because allegedly, Gen was currently in the year 5739, and from the looks of it, human civilisation seemed to have fallen sometime in-between now and Gen’s petrification.

In any case, while this was indeed a both horrifying and intriguing prospect, it obviously begged the question as to how he – Tsukasa Shishio, the strongest primate high schooler that Gen had met in passing on set while filming some TV special once upon a time – was able to give such an accurate date.

That wasn’t Gen’s only question though; the massive amount of ultra-realistic statues behind the guy obviously warranted some sort of explanation.

“These are the humans that should be revived first,” Tsukasa declared. “But first, I have a mission for you, Gen.”

* * *

Ishigami Senku was… not quite what Gen had expected. But that was not to say that Gen was disappointed, because when Tsukasa had called the guy the sharpest, most intelligent person in the world, he hadn’t been exaggerating. Because Senku was no doubt the sharpest, most intelligent person in this Stone World by a wide margin as far as Gen himself was concerned.

And yeah, it turned out that Tsukasa’s exact report of the year stemmed from an etching on a tree, an etching that had been made by none other than this Ishigami Senku.

It took a very special kind of person – a very special and utterly fascinating individual – to just wake up from a 3,700+ year slumber and immediately carve the year and date into the nearest tree.

No, it could hardly have been a slumber – The guy must have been counting the minutes or seconds, because how else could he have known? How else could he have put down the date of his de-petrification as April 1st 5738?

It was simply out of this world, and that alone would have been enough for Gen to want to seek him out, orders or no orders. But now Gen had orders, although he wasn’t entirely sure as to what to make of them.

Like, he’d technically been sent here to spy after all, but as things were…

“Well, I was planning on doing Tsukasa this favour and asking him for a harem and all, but having seen all this, I’m pretty torn… Should I betray Tsukasa and ally myself with you instead? The Kingdom of Might or the Kingdom of Science? Hm…”

It was a tough call, because Gen could probably continue reaping the benefits of the Kingdom of Science without compromising his duties as Tsukasa’s spy. In fact, the two were fairly compatible, and now that the phase of the most brutal manual labour seemed to have passed in the Kingdom of Science, Gen could most definitely see himself sticking around, enjoying the makeshift ramen and−

“Hoh,” Senku said. “And what would it take to get you to spy on Tsukasa for us, then? A bottle of cola?”

 _Sold!_ “No way, Senku- _chan_! I’m not that cheap~”

* * *

Okay, so, looking at it logically, taking up the role of a double agent might actually carry the most benefits. Because Tsukasa had ordered Gen to use his skills as a mentalist to read into Senku’s psyche; to figure him out and – in the longer term – how he could be persuaded to not do things Tsukasa disapproved of.

And, in order to do that, Gen obviously needed to get close to Senku, and providing some assistance in the latter’s science endeavours obviously helped with that. Mind you, Gen’s understanding of more complicated scientific stuff was only so-so, but what he did know already made him a more favourable alternative than both Taiju and Yuzuriha. Also, quite possibly, because the latter two were usually needed elsewhere.

In any case, Gen ended up supervising a bunch of science projects and experiments.

Within days, Senku had acquired iron, made copper wire, and then used lightning on them to create magnets. Then, suddenly, bam: they had an electric generator and an Edison’s light bulb.

And this was just within these last couple of days; before that, Senku had apparently created soap, gunpowder, mortar and a freaking crossbow.

Gen could hardly fathom what Senku might reinvent by the end of the week.

It was a humbling and quite scary thing to consider, really. Still− “Hm… should I report this to Tsukasa or not? Hm…”

Well, it was not like they were making weapons or anything, at least not for now, and to think that the end goal was some supposed cure-all medicine, antibiotics or something? It was crazy, and Gen kind of wanted to tell Tsukasa about it just to see the look on the guy’s face. But at the same time, he shouldn’t, because−

_“Argh!”_

Actually, never mind that. That blond brute from the village was−

_“Ugh!”_

Having taken at least three or four punches in quick succession, Gen was too dazed to do much as he glimpsed the tip of the spear rushing down towards him. It was aimed at his chest; hopefully, his hidden blood bags would absorb some of the impact, but if not−

* * *

_“Guh.”_

Well, thanks to the blood bags, Gen was alive, but the massive amount of pain he was in definitely made him question whether it was actually worth it. Damn it.

Then again, having the most intelligent person currently in this world nursing him back to health wasn’t all that bad really.

And like, who cares if Gen had technically just agreed to sell his services for a bottle of cola? It wasn’t like he could get it from anywhere else now, could he?

And speaking of things that couldn’t be gotten from anyone else…

* * *

“So yeah, Senku and the others are doing well. The last I saw of them, they were trying to make glass. Apparently, they’re planning on making some cure-all medicine. They need it for some priestess who’s ill, and by curing her, they hope to win over the entire village for their cause… or something? And yeah, Senku and his allies are calling themselves the Kingdom of Science at this point. They even have their own flag; Yuzuriha made it~”

“Hoh…”

Whoa.

“They’re making glass, you say?”

Right. “Some of the people over there are apparently super near-sighted, so… Also, Senku says clay pots won’t cut it for what he’s planning next.”

“Hoh…”

Again, whoa.

“And why are you injured?”

Gen blinked. Was that concern? Nah, it couldn’t be. Either way, he smiled, even though the action obviously pained him. “Ah, this? It’s nothing, nothing. It’s not as bad as it looks~”

It could have been much worse, really. Besides, the bruises were already faded compared to just a couple of days, and the rest was−

_“Who did it?”_

Gen’s heart did an actual doubletake at that, because Tsukasa’s tone had shifted into something rather dangerous. Still− “Just some guy from the village. These guys are practically in the Stone Age, so when they see science at work, they’re like ‘ _sorcery’_ and whatnot…”

“Science?”

Ah-hahaha... Oops. Well, now that he’d gone off and said it− “Well, no matter who was really the target, I managed to fake my own death, so now, there’s really no need to−”

The clay container Tsukasa had previously been drinking out of shattered under the sheer force of his grip.

“…Tsukasa- _chan_?”

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

“Oi, Mentalist.”

“Hm?”

“What’s this supposed to be?”

This was a purely rhetorical question of course, because Senku had eyes, and unlike certain individuals in the immediate vicinity, he was not near-sighted to all Hell. Besides, the question wasn’t so much what it was but rather what was the meaning of it.

“Well…” Gen said, keeping that annoying look on his face and his hands hidden in his sleeves. “Tsukasa- _chan_ sends his… best regards?”

Senku gave the pile of lion hides another cursory glance before levelling his gaze on the newcomer; for Tsukasa to have revived other people already, Senku’s efforts at sabotaging the distillation equipment obviously hadn’t been enough. “Is that so?”

The newcomer apparently took this as an invitation to step up and extend his hand. “I’m Ukyo, Saionji Ukyo. You’re Senku, right? Nice to meet you.”

Senku stared at the hand and then at the person it was attached to. Then, after making a quick risk assessment, he finally reached out to grasp it. “Welcome aboard,” he said, allowing a wide grin to split his face. “We’re always looking for additional manpower.”

Gen’s expression turned slightly pained, and the newcomer immediately shot a mildly alarmed look in his direction. Still, to his credit, this Ukyo guy was quick to recovery, firing off a smile that would not have looked out of place in customer service. “That’s good to hear. How may I be of assistance?”

* * *

“Hey, Senku.”

“What?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“You already did, Chrome. But sure, why not? What’s up?”

“That Tsukasa guy…”

“Yeah.”

“He’s the guy who tried to get you to quit science, right? The leader of the enemy camp and whatnot.”

“Yeah?”

“Like, I can kind of get why he sent Gen over here. But I don’t really get the rest.”

“Hoh? Let’s hear it then; why did Tsukasa send Gen over here?”

“Dude, don’t patronise me!”

“I’m not. I have my own hypothesis, and I’d like to hear yours. But if you don’t want to tell me, that’s also fine.”

“I think that Gen was sent here as a spy, but… I don’t think he’s a bad person. He helped us with Magma after all.”

“Yeah, and got pretty damned roughed up because of it.”

“I know. It was bad, so I was thinking…”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe that Tsukasa got annoyed that he almost lost his spy, so…”

“So, he sent that Ukyo guy here as a bodyguard of sorts? Hm, that’s an interesting take on it, I guess.”

“You don’t think that’s the case, Senku?”

“Nah, I can imagine that as part of the reason – Gen’s like _that_ , but if you’re looking for someone to sway people’s opinions and motivations, he probably fits the bill. Actually, I think he’s just about the only one who does. Tsukasa’s youth-only policy probably discriminates just about anyone else.”

“But that’s not all of it?”

“That’s not all of it. I’d say that Tsukasa realised that Gen’s already cracked, so he sent Ukyo along to keep him – and by default also us – in check.”

“I guess that’d make sense. Still−”

“Still?”

“What’s up with the hides?”

“Ah, those? Those are a warning. A threat, if you like.”

“A threat?”

“Yes. He essentially wants to remind me about two things: 1) that he knows where I am, and 2) that he could kill me anytime he feels like it.”

“That is so fucked up.”

“Yeah, but consider this: This is the guy that goes around breaking statues because he wants to ensure that no adults will be revived. He tracked us all the way over here with the explicit goal of killing me if I didn’t give up science.”

“But he didn’t kill you. Why is that?”

“Who knows? My data is too limited. However, if I were to venture a guess, then I’d say that there are two main reasons as to why Tsukasa let me live that time, the first of which is insurance.”

“Insurance? How?”

“Simply put, Tsukasa’s original plan was likely to have the Mentalist influence me to accept Tsukasa’s youth-only agenda. However, failing that, letting me live for a while yet would still prove beneficial to him in the longer term. Access to better tools and better medical treatments can dramatically increase not just the quality of life but also the length of it. Tsukasa knows how to make soap now, but he doesn’t have the knowledge, skill or manpower necessary to make the thing we’re making.”

“The cure-all medicine…”

“Yes. Strictly speaking, it’s not a cure-all though. _Sulphanilamide_ , or antibiotics, works wonders against bacteria. It doesn’t work against viruses though.”

“…I don’t really get it. _Bacteria_? _Viruses_? I kind of figure that they both cause sickness, but what’s the difference?”

“Well, bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that exist everywhere – in the water, the soil, the air, in plants, in people and so on. Most are harmless, and we even need some of them for our bodies to function properly. It’s estimated that less than one percent of bacteria make people sick. Now viruses on the other hand are even smaller than bacteria, and unlike the case with bacteria, viruses can’t survive long without a living host. A virus attaches itself to cells and makes use of them to reproduce itself. And unlike the case with bacteria, most viruses are harmful. Granted, there’s a thing called _immunity_ – Before the petrification, we used to have these things called _vaccines_ , and by taking them, you could become pretty much immune to certain diseases. And as for the rest, there were other drugs that could be taken to treat the symptoms. In any case, a common denominator in-between viruses and bacteria is how they spread: They spread through contact with infected people or animals or with contaminated surfaces, food or water. Close proximity to people who cough or sneeze greatly increases the risk of contracting whatever they have – be it the common cold or something far, far worse.”

“Okay… I don’t think I understood all of that, but yeah, that sounds pretty cool. What does _soap_ have to do with any of it though?”

“Well, simply put, good hygiene greatly decreases the risk of catching an _infection_ , whether viral or bacterial. Back before the petrification, alcohol-based hand sanitizers were a pretty common sight during the cold season. It was kind of stupid though, because alcohol primarily kills bacteria, not viruses. Now soap on the other hand is effective against both – not because it kills the germs, but because when you’ve got soap on your hands and rub them together, the soap helps dislodge germs sticking to your skin, so that they wash off more easily when you rinse your hands in water.”

“Right. What’s next?”

“We’re making acid.”

“Again?!”

* * *

“Senku, this is…?”

“Tsukasa’s idea of a threat apparently, but that doesn’t mean we can’t put them to good use. I figured that since he cut your hair and all, you’d get the first pick, Yuzuriha.”

“Oh… that’s very thoughtful of you, Senku. But what do we do with the rest?”

“Taiju’s started building a hut, right? If we’ve got no better use of them, we might as well use them for that.”

* * *

“Ooooi, Senku! You came at a good time!”

“I’d sure hope so. Need any help?”

“Nah, we’re good. Leave the distillation to us!”

“Heh, thanks. I will. Hey old man!”

“Honestly, why are you putting such effort into this? If you just win the Village Bout tomorrow, you’ll get your hands on more alcohol than you can even drink!”

“Yeah, well, we’ve already done this much, so it’d be a shame to waste it. We still need _aniline_ , _sodium bicarbonate_ and _acetic anhydride_ in order to complete the cure-all drug, and we need the alcohol for that. Well, that and vinegar I guess.”

“Vinegar?”

“Yeeeah, so, Suika?”

“I’ll go and get some right away!”

“…You’re surprisingly unscrupulous about all this, Senku- _chan_ …”

“Ah, there you are, Mentalist. Right on time.”

“Huh?”

“That Magma guy thinks he’s killed you, right?”

“Probably, yeah?”

“I’d really hate to see the guy at the top of his game tomorrow. So, wanna show up tomorrow and scare him shitless?”

“I do~”

* * *

“Senku.”

Senku looked up. It was that new guy. “Yo, Ukyo, was it? Did you enjoy eavesdropping to all of that?”

“It’s not like I can help it, you know?”

Technically he could though. He could have gone for an impromptu walk in the woods or downstream or fashioned himself a pair of earplugs, or used his fingers if need be. In any case− “You’ve got something to say to me, right? Let’s hear it.”

“Senku.”

“Yeah?”

“What do you want from me?”

Senku shot him a short, assessing look. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking that? Besides, I’ve already answered that question: Manpower.”

There was a frown at that. “You want me to fight for you?”

Senku barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes, settling for an exasperated sigh. “If you want to fight, then fight for yourself. And if you don’t want to get involved, then do us all a favour and don’t get in the way. That said, I for one would appreciate it if you could have our backs. I’m not telling you to shoot people, but if we end up having to pull off a strategic retreat tomorrow, an archer could prove a pretty useful deterrent. Just saying.”

The frown deepened. “Senku, why will you fight?”

Hmph. “If it could be avoided, I’d rather not, but with lives on the line, I can’t sit by and do nothing. That said, I’m mostly in it to increase the chances for the others. I’m not delusional enough to assume I’d actually win this.”

Ukyo bit his lip; that touched a nerve, didn’t it?

“If the matchup is bad, you could get seriously hurt though,” Ukyo argued. “In a worst-case scenario, you could even be−”

“−Killed?” Senku finished, relishing in the pained look that earned him; Tsukasa must have severely miscalculated if he’d sent this guy to do his bidding, because this guy was obviously too much of a pacifist to kill anyone. Then again, if this was Tsukasa’s way of getting rid of a nuisance, in that − Well, in _any_ case− “In that case, then Tsukasa won’t have to dirty his own hands. Good for−”

Ukyo grabbed him by the shoulders and leaned in, staring intently into his eyes. “I won’t let you die. Not you, and not anyone else. I promise you that much.”

Well− “I can work with that.”

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

Ukyo didn’t want any casualties, and Senku could work with that, even if he did find the notion of no casualties a tad idealistic. Like yeah, Senku obviously preferred a scenario wherein no one had to die, and he would obviously strive for a scenario that didn’t involve a lot of bloodshed. But in case Tsukasa and his lot couldn’t be reasoned with, then Senku obviously had to deal with them. And he could hardly do that on his own, so it would pay to form an alliance in-between his Kingdom of Science and the Ishigami Village.

This was ultimately the goal of Senku’s participation in the Grand Bout: To secure more allies for the Kingdom of Science. Naturally, curing the priestess was also a priority, and not simply because of the goodwill that would earn him – Senku wanted information, and indications were that this Ruri chick might very well hold a few vital pieces to the puzzle. Besides, even if she didn’t, Senku wouldn’t consider curing her a waste of effort by any means – There was the goodwill, yes, and in the process of making the cure-all, Senku had already managed to bring humanity a few steps closer to proper civilisation. Also, perhaps most importantly, Senku would cure the priestess because it was the right thing to do.

Of course, that was provided that she actually managed to live long enough for Senku to treat her.

“Senku, it’s time to go.”

“Yeah, yeah, just one sec.”

* * *

The matchups… had not been ideal, to say the very least. Fortunately, there were measures to deal with that – measures such as doping. Unfortunately, there was also Ginro, who had consumed both the energy drink and all the ingredients they had had at hand.

Naturally, Suika had offered to go and fetch more, dashing off with nary a second thought. Appreciative of her continued helpfulness, Senku would probably not have given the matter much more thought, had Ukyo not put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in to quietly inform him about the eavesdropper.

It would have been tempting to seize the guy – likely Magma’s minion – right away and eliminate him from the competition. However, that would have no doubt landed them with accusations of cheating later on, so that obviously wouldn’t do. That said however−

“Oi, Mentalist, come here for a sec.”

−Who said they couldn’t make precautions in case of foul play?

* * *

The Grand Bout itself… had gone down pretty much like expected. Some foul play here and there, and Senku made a mental note to get Kinro some glasses, because the guy was apparently near-sighted as all Hell, something that Senku had vaguely suspected but not actively acted upon due to a lack of time.

Then again, even with glasses, Kinro could still have lost – that Magma sure didn’t mind fighting dirty, did he?

Well, not that Senku himself was a lot better in that regard.

In any case−

“The new village chief… that will receive Priestess Ruri’s hand in marriage… is Senku!”

−How the Hell did everything come to this?

* * *

“So… congrats on your marriage?”

“You already heard that, did you? Then you should also know that I’m already a divorcee.”

“Still the village chief though, I take it?”

“Obviously. How could I let all this manpower go to waste? There’s still so many things left to reinvent.”

“Whoa, Senku! You’re getting married?!”

“Like Hell I am, blockhead!”

“But, Senku!”

“How’s that confession going, blockhead? If you haven’t done it already, then you better do it soon. Yuzuriha might get snatched up by another guy otherwise…”

“I don’t want that!”

“Good! Now do go something about it! I’ve got science to do!”

* * *

And so, the priestess was cured, and with her help, one mystery had been solved: The villagers of the Ishigami Village were indeed the descendants of the six astronauts from the ISS, Ishigami Byakuya included.

Then it was apparently time for a banquet, and the villagers definitely took that as an opportunity to get wasted, either to celebrate or in an attempt to forget all about recent events. Both probably applied to Kokuyo, the previous village chief, and to Magma as well.

As for Senku, well, he wasn’t exactly drunk, merely a bit tipsy. It was late and the night was a bit chilly, but Senku wasn’t really bothered by any of that. First, there was the alcohol. Then there was the blanket that Yuzuriha had fashioned and Taiju had insisted upon.

“But what is this fur? I don’t think I’ve seen this kind before…”

Noting Kokuyo’s curiosity, Senku let out a slight huff. “It’s lion.”

“Oh, lion, that’s− Wait.” Kokuyo paused, blinked.

“Lion?” asked his aide – Jasper, was it?

“Yeah.” Senku affirmed. “Ukyo and Gen brought it.”

Jasper and Kokuyo both turned their heads in direction of the two; they were hanging out by the bridge, and some of the villagers seemed to be trying very hard to convince them to come and drink with the rest of them.

“Did they…?”

Senku snorted, because wasn’t that a laugh? “Ukyo aside, could you picture Gen hunting? Well, trapping would be an option, but no, they didn’t.”

“Then why…?”

That last question came from Kohaku.

Naturally, Senku humoured her. “It’s a threat,” he explained. “A message that he knows exactly where I am and that he could kill me anytime he feels like it.”

“If indeed so, then why bother preparing the hide?” asked Jasper. “Why not settle for a carcass? Or come here in person?”

This Jasper guy seemed smart, even while intoxicated. If Senku really ended up acting as the village chief, then he would obviously have to keep the guy around as an advisor. That said however, it was not like any of the villagers actually knew anything about Tsukasa and his motives.

As such, Senku opted to explain them, because while it wasn’t exactly pleasant to talk about them, it would be better to lay all cards up on the table so that the villagers knew just what kind of situations they could potentially end up facing with Senku at the helm.

“All in all, there is still a fair bit of distance in-between here and the Cave of Miracles, and lugging a carcass all the way would probably not be the greatest idea, since it would likely attract scavengers or other predators. Besides, Tsukasa’s not the sort to waste meat, even if it is pretty shitty meat.”

Senku wondered if the villagers had ever tried it. Going by their reaction to the hides, probably not.

“As for why Tsukasa hasn’t shown himself, there are probably several reasons. Firstly, he doesn’t want to leave the Cave of Miracles, especially now, while his forces are relatively small and their loyalties as of yet unproven. If he left it unprotected and someone from our camp found out about it, then we could either convince one of Tsukasa’s people to go there or infiltrate it ourselves. This is just a hypothesis of mine, but it is unlikely that Tsukasa will stray very far from his camp this year, in part because of preparations for the winter and in part because of preparations for the future.”

“Are those not almost the same?” wondered Kokuyo.

Senku let out a sigh, staring down into his cup. “In this case, no. In order to gain the upper hand, he needs not just the manpower but also the unwavering loyalty of those providing it. Because he has yet to secure the latter, Tsukasa cannot be away from the Cave of Miracles for long. Also, considering the state of things, it is not unlikely that different factions are already forming over there, and in order to unite them, they need a common enemy.”

“A common enemy?” Kohaku asked, but she was hardly the only one.

“Yep.” Senku got to his feet. He drained the rest of his cup and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “In other words, me, and possibly everyone that sides with me. Therefore, Tsukasa won’t kill me until later on, because right now, I am still useful to him in some regard. Since you lot have decided to make me the new village chief, you ought to give it some consideration.”

“Senku…”

“Troublesome? Yeah, I know. If you’d rather not deal with it, I get it. I’ll talk to the others about moving further to the west.”

They were frowning openly at him now. Yeah, they probably didn’t want him to stick around any longer than strictly nece−

“I will not stand for it!” the former village chief declared and rather loudly at that.

People actually stopped in what they were doing.

“I will not stand for it,” Kokuyo then repeated. “You are the current chief, my daughter’s saviour, and the son of our Great Founder! We will support you until the last man!”

“And woman,” Kohaku added.

“And elder,” Old Man Kaseki added from farther off.

“Suika will also try her best to be helpful!” Suika added, and a bunch of children voiced their seeming agreement.

It was touching, really. Touching, but also downright horrifying in its own right. After all, Tsukasa and his morals aside, what was there to say that his followers – aside from those that Senku had already swayed over to his side – would have much of a moral compass? Also, what was to say that the villagers themselves wouldn’t ultimately−?

“Yeah, that’s definitely enough for tonight,” Senku decided. “We'll talk more once everyone’s sober.”

Because yeah, certain discussions were best in held a completely sober context. Also, this was a celebration, and Senku would rather not ruin the mood any further if he could avoid it.

Speaking of moods though−

Senku made his way over to the bridge, over to Gen, cutting right to the chase. “Report.”

Because there obviously had to be something, or else the Mentalist would be chugging the cola Senku had actually bothered to make for him.

Besides, there was the fact that Ukyo, who had pointedly shown up to the banquet bearing arms, was no longer in sight.

“Well…” Gen trailed off, then swallowed soundly. He was nervous. “You see…”

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Gen was in a bind, to be perfectly honest.

On one hand, he had just received a direct order to report.

On the other hand, he had also received strict orders from Ukyo not to let Senku leave the village until Ukyo gave the all clear.

Because Hyoga was out there, and probably that Homura girl as well. Ukyo hadn’t mentioned anyone specific other than Hyoga, but Gen knew enough to fill in the blanks for himself. Homura and Hyoga being there was probably bad news, albeit not as bad news as them leading an army of grunts to their location would have been. And Gen was pretty sure that there wasn’t an army out there; Ukyo would have definitely said something about it then, right? _Right?_

“Well…” Gen wanted to tell Senku to go back to the centre of the feast, where he could be better protected, probably. But how to put it, without provoking an unwanted reaction? “You see…”

Glancing at the villagers, Gen took stock of the number of strong fighters. Barring Kohaku, there was only Magma and Kinro, both of them injured. Throwing Homura into the mix, there was no way they could win against Hyoga in a fair fight – or an unfair one for that matter. Like sure, they had Senku, but with little time for preparation and limited resources, they could only do so much if there was a physical altercation.

Gen could only hope that there wouldn’t be one, and he leaned in, lowering his voice. “We’ve got company; Tsukasa- _chan_ ’s people. Ukyo- _chan_ ’s gone off to talk to them.”

“Hoh?” Senku said, his gaze passing over the treeline barely visible in the dark on the other side of the bridge. “Why not you, Mentalist?”

An excellent question, really, because talking an enemy down was right up a mentalist’s alley, no? Well, except maybe in this case. “Well, I get the feeling this one guy kind of hates me, so we figured it’d probably be best for me to sit this one out?”

Actually no, Ukyo hadn’t even presented that as an option, but never mind. Gen was relieved that he didn’t have to talk to Hyoga – that he hopefully wouldn’t have to talk to Hyoga within the near future, hopefully. Instead, he had Senku to deal with, and if Senku proved difficult to deal with, then Gen would only have to shout a few well-chosen words to the villagers, and they would no doubt deal with Senku for him.

Still, what was Hyoga doing here? Was he here out of sheer curiosity, or was he here to start something? Tsukasa might be a pretty scary person, but at least he was a person with clear principles; a moral compass of sorts. Now Hyoga on the other hand, oh boy; Gen might not have had a whole lot of time to observe the guy, but Ukyo had not disagreed with the assessment Gen had shared as they had made their way to the village. Because there was just something about the way that Hyoga looked at those people back in the Kingdom of Might – he treated the women courteously, yes, but the men, particularly the ones that had more muscle mass than common sense? He regarded them with thinly veiled contempt, and Gen had this impression that Hyoga would derive some sick joy in the event of their untimely deaths. Granted, Hyoga still treated some guys with cold respect. As for Gen on the other hand, well, Gen had just gotten this distinct impression that Hyoga disliked him, and might actually kill him if he talked too much.

These were really just assumptions based on observations. But Gen was pretty sure that he was reasonably correct; his gut instinct was rarely wrong, at least not when it came to people like this.

Homura meanwhile was categorised as a lesser threat, but that in itself did not make her even remotely harmless. Homura followed Hyoga’s lead, and if Hyoga wanted it, then she would likely stab anyone, no real questions asked.

Ah, what a mess. Why did these people have to show up?

“Right,” Senku said, pulling at his makeshift cloak, keeping his own voice down as well. The minute changes of Gen’s facial expression had likely told him a lot more than Gen had initially intended. “Pretty bad timing if they want to attack. We might be able to scare them off with guns though.”

Guns? “But we don’t−”

Senku snorted. “Honestly,” he said, voice down low and face angled to make lipreading from afar impossible. “You’re a mentalist. Do the math.”

Ah. Right. They could _pretend_ they had guns. But, in the offhand case that Hyoga was really there with Tsukasa’s blessings, then wouldn’t it be kind of bad to give them such an impression? After all−

The sound of Kinro’s voice in the other side of the bridge drew their attention, and not just theirs. They looked, and kept watching as Ukyo made his way across the bridge. Up close and in the light of the torches, his face was drawn, but he mustered up a slight smile as he laid eyes upon them. The smile did not reach his eyes.

When he reached the two of them, he immediately put a hand on Senku’s shoulder and leaned in close, keeping his voice down. “Hyoga of the Kingdom of Might requests an audience. I told them to come back in the morning.”

Them, not him. In other word, Homura’s presence had been confirmed.

Also− “You’re really something, Ukyo- _chan_ ,” Gen whispered. “I’m surprised Hyoga didn’t skewer you for saying no.”

“I didn’t say no,” Ukyo said, in a normal tone this time around. “I said wait.”

_“Right…”_

Right. That still left a bit of a problem.

Gen turned to Senku; the newly appointed village chief had a thoughtful look on his face.

“What kind of people are we dealing with?” he finally asked.

“Hyoga’s really strong,” Ukyo offered up. “With his spear, I do believe he could go toe-to-toe with Tsukasa himself.”

The moment the words had left Ukyo’s mouth, Gen oh-so-desperately wanted to shove them back in again, because what was that look in Senku’s eyes? That calculating look? Was he seriously thinking what Gen thought he was thinking?

“Right,” Senku said, tilting his head in Ukyo’s direction. “Anything else I should be aware of?”

Ukyo briefly locked eyes with Gen, who attempted to convey just how bad an idea he thought this was without actually opening his mouth. Then Ukyo looked back at Senku and smiled. “As long as you don’t touch his spear, you should be fine.”

There was definitely a ‘probably’ hidden in there somewhere. The statement was undeniably optimistic though. Unrealistically optimistic, as a matter of fact.

Gen released a breath he had been holding in, letting out a sigh. However, the sigh was more out of resignation than out of relief.

* * *

One mostly sleepless night later, Gen found himself treated to quite a spectacle.

Hyoga was there, and Homura as well, and Hyoga was smiling; a horrifying sight indeed.

And worse yet, Senku was gingerly holding Hyoga’s spear, scrutinising it and testing its balance and weight, all while the masked man looked on, his eyes crinkled as Senku explained how he could easily upgrade it to let Hyoga fully utilise his fighting style.

What was he thinking, making an already dangerous threat an even worse one?

Gen swallowed and tried not to glance at Homura where she sat, frowning mildly at the spectacle while finishing up her third bowl of ramen. Then he looked at Ukyo, whose eyes didn’t stray from Hyoga one bit. Kohaku’s were much the same.

Gen should probably report this, right? Or at the very least make sure that Tsukasa knew about it, right? But what if−

Senku handed the spear back and started handing out orders, all while Hyoga kept looking at him, and rather intensely at that. Eventually, even Senku noticed, turning his head around with a simple “What?”

Hyoga’s expression grew blank for a second and then his eyes crinkled again. “You truly are extraordinary, Senku.”

Senku opened his mouth to say something, but apparently thought better of it. It didn’t last too long however. “I hear you’re quite an extraordinary individual yourself, Hyoga,” he said, already about to head off to his next project. “That said, a guy complimenting another guy to his face might give people the wrong impression, you know?”

“Is that so?” Hyoga said, and took a step forward.

Senku – and others – immediately stilled, and Ukyo immediately started reaching for his bow. Such a weapon might not actually do much good in this situation though, and−

Hyoga leaned down – _Damn him, why was he so freakishly tall compared to the rest of them?_ – and whispered something into Senku’s ear. Whatever it was, it had Ukyo there in a second, putting himself in-between the two with an uncharacteristically grim look on his face.

“Then I’d suggest you work hard,” Ukyo said, using his head to indicate for Hyoga to get going. “We don’t exactly welcome idle hands around here.”

Somehow, this wasn’t met by visible irritation. The man simply let out an amused huff and walked away, motioning for Homura to follow.

As the pair left, tension visibly lowered. Kohaku fingered her knives one more time before putting them away, and Kinro’s grip on his spear noticeably relaxed.

“Man,” Chrome said, frowning. “What was that all about?”

Gen glanced at Senku and Ukyo. Now Ukyo was the one whispering something, and Senku just shook his head in response, fingers clenching and unclenching once. Then, from one moment to the next, Senku was right back to his usual state. 

“It was nothing,” he said. “We’ve still got work to do.”

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

Chrome’s life had changed significantly in recent months. Most of those changes – well, practically all of those changes – led back to Senku.

Senku. The son of the esteemed founder of the Ishigami Village. Sciencer− No, _scientist_.

Now he was the village chief too, and Chrome was happy for that. Sure, it had been a shame that Chrome himself hadn’t made it to the end, but Chrome was glad it had been Senku and no one else.

Kinro would have been fine, probably.

Ginro… probably not.

Magma… yeah, Chrome would rather not think about it actually.

In any case, Senku had fulfilled his promise and then some; he had cured Ruri’s illness, and he had changed the villagers’ lives for the better in the process.

Sure, Chrome and Old Man Kaseki had also played their part, as had others. But Senku had still been the driving force, for the most part.

But now that the immediate danger – Ruri dying, Magma becoming the village chief – had passed, Chrome could finally pay attention to other things, things that he had vaguely taken note of but not really paid too much attention to.

Or rather, he had paid some attention to it, but it had been pushed aside by everything else up until this point.

Now however, Chrome found himself replaying the conversations, contemplating the signs.

Chrome had never met him, so he didn’t know what he looked like, but still tried to put together a profile on him, judging by the clues he had at hand.

Tsukasa, the leader of the ‘Kingdom of Might’, the person who wanted to get Senku to quit science, and had been prepared to kill him over it. The guy who wanted a world with just young people, who went about destroying statues of adults.

It would have been easy to just write off Tsukasa as the enemy and think nothing more about him and his motives. Chrome was after all not an expert in people, but in science.

But even though Chrome wasn’t an expert, he could tell that there was something that just wasn’t right; there were things about Tsukasa’s behaviour that just didn’t fit with his supposed motives.

Tsukasa had sent Gen, and then Ukyo.

Senku had said that Gen had probably been sent there to persuade Senku to see things Tsukasa’s way, and that Ukyo had been sent to keep him – as well as Senku and the others – in check.

He had said that the hides were a warning – a threat and reminder that Tsukasa knew his whereabouts and that Senku could be killed whenever Tsukasa felt like it.

But barring sending Gen and Ukyo, Tsukasa hadn’t made a move. Not until now, that is.

This Hyoga guy was creepy, and his female companion – Homura – was not much better. Chrome hadn’t exactly tried to be friendly with them, but he could tell that the others were wary.

Insurance; that had been Senku’s hypothesis in regards to why Tsukasa had opted to let him live that time rather than kill him, that Tsukasa wanted to reap the benefits of their technological advancements before putting an end to it all.

This Tsukasa guy sounded like he wanted to live in the past, and with Senku steadily working to bring science back from the Stone Age, it was bound to come to a head at some point.

Still, Chrome didn’t get it.

He didn’t get it, and he didn’t like it.

_“…He needs not just the manpower but also the unwavering loyalty of those providing it. Because he has yet to secure the latter, Tsukasa cannot be away from the Cave of Miracles for long. Also, considering the state of things, it is not unlikely that different factions are already forming over there, and in order to unite them, they need a common enemy… In other words, me, and possibly everyone that sides with me. Therefore, Tsukasa won’t kill me until later on, because right now, I am still useful to him in some regard. Since you lot have decided to make me the new village chief, you ought to give it some consideration.”_

Chrome didn’t know all the details on what Senku and Gen and Ukyo had discussed on the night of the Grand Bout, but he did know about the aftermath; about Hyoga wandering around the Science Camp like he had some damned right to it.

But Senku did seem rather keen on having the man as his ally – because he was allegedly as strong as Tsukasa – so Chrome did his best not to let this bother him.

But then there had been that brief exchange, and then Ukyo taking on an overtly protective stance, putting himself as Senku’s shield.

"Then I’d suggest you work hard,” he had said. “We don’t exactly welcome idle hands around here.”

They most certainly didn’t, because additional manpower was always welcome and all that. But Chrome couldn’t help but think that there was a lot more to it than that; some sort of code, perhaps?

In any case, as Senku had put it, they still had work to do, and with winter soon approaching, the number of people who could spare their manpower to aid the progress of science was limited. As such, powering their generator would be difficult. If only there was some way to power it besides manpower, something, something− Oh.

“Senku! Old Man Kaseki! I just had a great idea!”

* * *

“Oh,” Hyoga said when he wandered in later on. “A waterwheel.”

“No,” Senku said with a positively maniacal grin as he put together the _electrodes_ , making them spark and crackle with energy. “Hydroelectric power plant.”

“Couldn’t have made it without this!” Old Man Kaseki proudly proclaimed, waving around his newly acquired saw.

Hyoga definitely looked at the blade, but the time he spent looking at the hydroelectric power plant was definitely longer – which was surprising, because Chrome at least would have expected the guy to pay more attention to the forged iron. Maybe it was the sparks though; it was probably the sparks. Gen had also appeared pretty transfixed back when Senku had first made light.

The light probably reminded them of home; of the world that existed before the petrification – they seemed drawn to it, akin to moths to a flame. Or maybe Senku was the one they were being drawn to, because more often than not, one of them would stick close to him and observe, and a lot of the time, they seemed just as perplexed by the things Senku, Chrome and Kaseki brought about as the villagers.

Taiju and Yuzuriha were notable exceptions to this, which was understandable; they were long-time friends of Senku, and Taiju in particular seemed to have been around to witness plenty of the experiments Senku had performed in his younger days.

Chrome had asked about it once, and Taiju had laughed and said that he had already seen Senku build a rocket and successfully launch it into space, and that he didn’t honestly think there was anything that Senku couldn’t do, given enough time, tools, raw material and manpower.

“Hoh,” Hyoga said, evidently intrigued but keeping his distance. “The gear, the saw, the waterwheel and hydroelectric power. What comes after that?”

“Batteries,” Senku said. “Then we’re upgrading the furnace. Now, did you just come here to sightsee or did you bring the goods?”

The man’s eyes crinkled at that, and he motioned for Homura, who removed her backpack and put it down, revealing it contained a glass jar filled with yellowish fluid. “Would that kind of amount suffice?”

Senku let out a hum at that. “And that other thing?”

Hyoga pulled out a bag from underneath his cloak and held it out, and Senku stepped up to retrieve it.

Once he had, he weighed the thing in his hand while loosening up the strap to confirm the bag’s contents. “It’s a start,” Senku said. “So? You obviously want something. Let’s hear it.”

* * *


End file.
